From Downtown Toronto Ontario Canada and the shores of Georgian Bay & Blue Mountain, my Collingwood Shangri-La escape, I write about people and the goings on here and music, literature and life in general. Equally left brained (IT Project Manager) and right brained (creative writing and learning to play the Ukulele). Love live music and red wine and long conversations. Pull up a chair and join me from time to time and we shall share both thoughts and company! Blog comments welcome!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Rainy days are really not all that bad when it is warm and you are dressed properly. A gentle rain is very calming. How does that saying go? There is no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.

This morning when I woke up it was (predictably) ... raining. Whats new, eh? So far in May we have had 137 mm of rain in 17 days (and 3 more days to go in the month) in a month when we usually average 73 mm over 12 days in Ontario. A rainy May for sure. But unlike last Sunday, the rain is not teaming down, it is gentle and the winds calm. A nice rainy Sunday by any rainy day standard.

This morning I went for a walk in the rain with Bella and snapped some photos on the path to the Rupert's Landing Marina. The blossoms are nearly at their peak but will be gone by the time I am back next.

As I left my place to go for the walk I noticed that the tennis players had opted to finish their game in the light rain rather than let it ruin their usual Sunday morning tourney. All is well in Shangri-La land I feel mellow and happy. Being here is quite a contrast to the frantic work week mental activity with my Toronto City Life. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy both, just right now there is no balance. I need to find a way to move into a slower lane during the work week days and not just leave my life for weekends
.

I was quite the Rolling Stones fan in my growing up years. Still am really. I like the mood of their hit "Waiting on a Friend" and the video captures the mellowness of the song and warm vibe of the music very well. The song and video convey the message that there is no need to hurry, or rush or be impatient but wait for your friends and take time to hang with them. This song is from their 1981 album Tattoo You, which was released as the album's second single and it reached #13 on the US singles chart. An interesting factoid about this song is that it was actually written in 1972 in Kingston, Jamaica but was without lyrics and unrecorded until it was resurrected for the Tattoo You Album. The lyrics were written with the then new video/MTV media in mind.

The video ... featured reggae artist Peter Tosh sitting on a stoop with Jagger who is seen waiting on Keith Richards. The building is found at 96-98 St. Mark's Place in Manhattan, which is the same building featured on the album cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. The video also features Ronnie Wood ...

The lyrics see a more mature side of singer Jagger represented. He speaks of setting aside women and vices in favor of making some sense of his life and finding the virtues inherent in true friendship:

“

Don't need a whore, I don't need no booze, don't need a virgin priest/But I need someone I can cry to, I need someone to protect.

”

The song is noted for its dreamy qualities brought on by the soft guitars, smooth rhythm, and Jagger's lilting refrain of "doo-doo-doo"'s.

So I am in feeling very mellow at Shangri-La this weekend and while I am not waiting on a friend at the moment I share the value of friendship that this video evokes. I am sure if you listen to the song and watch the video you will feel very mellow and glad for your friends also.

Waiting On A Friend Lyrics

Watching girls go passing by
It ain't the latest thing
I'm just standing in a doorway
I'm just trying to make some sense
Out of these girls go passing by
The tales they tell of men
I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend

A smile relieves a heart that grieves
Remember what I said
I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend

I'm just waiting on a friend

Don't need a whore
I don't need no booze
Don't need a virgin priest
But I need someone I can cry to
I need someone to protect
Making love and breaking hearts
It is a game for youth
But I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Ok, I have been slacking off in my blogging. Lots of reasons. At the end of every week I feel like I have run a mental marathon. Some weeks I feel lucky to get across the finish line, other weeks I feel like I didn't manage to even get to the finish line, but the odd week - and this was one of those - I feel like I crossed the finish line and am in the Winner's Circle! Last night I scooched up to my Collingwood Shangri-La for a weekend of well earned rest and relaxation. Just 'cuz I felt on the plus side at week's end doesn't mean that I am not exhausted from the week. I need my weekend R&R for sure. Though the weather isn't perfect and it promises to pour rain tomorrow, I am happily cocooned into my nest and busy planning a bathroom renovation! The work will start on Monday! Yeah!

I am also starting to gear up and plan for my 6 month sabbatical next year. This summer I am training for my 5 week walk through Spain (which is part 2 of my 6 month travel escapade) - my 1,000 km walk on the Vía De la Plata or Camino Mozarabe route of the Camino Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim's trail. The trip is in the early planning stages but not too early to start training. I am going with my friend Barb (of Gopher Broke Farm) and we have set up a dozen dates to do Bruce Trail hikes to get in shape and see how our knees hold up. The Bruce Trail follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the thirteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada, for almost 900 km (560 mi). The land the trail traverses is owned by the Government of Ontario, private landowners and the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC). Gopher Broke Farm is in the Niagara Escarpment area and Blue Mountain, which rises above Collingwood is also part of that geographic area. In short, we are in hiking country!

This week I bought my hiking boots. It has been some years since I owned a pair of hiking boots. I am going to make sure that they (and I) will be well broken in by next spring! We are lucky to be in the middle of Ontario's Bruce Trail, not so lucky as to be in an unseasonably wet spring. I guess that is something else we need to get used to. As I recall "the rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain". At least 500 km of the journey will be through the Spanish Plain - which as the saying goes, has a tendency toward rain. I also bought a GoreTex hiking jacket this week. That should guarantee that the rain in Ontario lets up.

I noticed a nest on the balcony rail.

Momma Robin was sitting on an egg!

As I said I have been really busy - lots of things, but one other exciting thing is that I have been planning my trip to Iceland! I will be leaving on the evening of June 27th and spending just 4 days there but the 4 days and nights are jam packed with activities. There will be 24 hours of sunlight each day so I will be able to get 8 days of sight seeing in!

Highlights of my Itinerary:

4 hour excusion to Geysir ad Gullfoss

8 hour midnight sailing trip to watch whales and see the sun set and rise immediately thereafter and have a midnight fish bbq with fresh caught fish! (The other reason for the Gore-Tex jacket!)

a 3 hour Reykjavik city bicycle tour

a day at the Blue Lagoon Hot Spring

a night out clubbing!

Whale Watching and Sea Angling under the Midnight Sun

The famous Blue Lagoon

Geysir is a must see when in Iceland

The last reason for me being so busy is that I have caught up (and nearly completed) all of my organizing for my new condo. I am now waiting on contractors who will be installing window coverings and a mirror closet door and then I will be just about done. I am one bookcase away from finishing my guest room and unpacking the rest of my moving boxes. The last (and most exciting) finale of to my Condo decorating adventure will be when I receive the art which my dear friend Michael Golland is creating for my living room wall. I can't wait!

Michael Golland is Liberty Village's Artist in Residence and as I recall I have mentioned him in my blogs a few times.

I have already one Golland work - the Heart which is shown in my blog profile. I just love his work and I am so happy that he has agreed to do something for me.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

There is such a large amount of fabulous music out there - I keep tripping over great songs and then get stuck on that artist for a while. I recently heard Chris Isaak on CBC Radio 2 singing his major hit Wicked Game and I was reminded that he has an incredible voice and a great sound.

After the tune played on the radio, the program host went on to say that the video which accompanied the song was the hotest, sexiest video he had ever seen and he remembers the video every time he hears the song. Because of the video he thinks of the song as the most romantic he has ever heard. I had to watch the video and I have to agree - I would vote for a guy like Chris Isaak and a romp on the beach and in the ocean any day... LOL

A great day started with fog coming off the water - pretty sights.

I ended up buying his Best of Chris Isaak (Remastered) album and there are some wicked great songs on it. I listened to it all the way up on my drive to my Collingwood Shangri-La. I thought I would share the video which has resulted in a mellow mood and me waking up humming this morning and is really appropriate for my very mellow day at my Collingwood Shangri-La.

Wicked Game"

The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you.
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you.

No, I don't want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
No, I don't want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
With you (This world is only gonna break your heart)

What a wicked game to play, to make me feel this way.
What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you.
What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way.
What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you and,

I want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
No, I want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
With you.

The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.
I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you.
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you,

No, I want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
No, I want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
With you (This world is only gonna break your heart)
No, I... (This world is only gonna break your heart)
(This world is only gonna break your heart)

Sunday, May 15, 2011

My favourite month is May. In the month of May things start coming alive in our City. As we move through the month there are more and more weekend activities and the weather moves from cool to absolutely perfect. Well almost perfect. We Torontonians brave the outdoor cafes and patios in 10 degree weather just cuz we can. By the end of May we get reliable 20 degree weather which is a bit more comfortable to sit out on a patio and sip a beer or a glass of wine. None the less - by the 2nd weekend in May all respectable outdoor patios have tables outside open even if they have also a few propane heaters at the ready!

From the May Victoria Day holiday (the 3rd Monday in May) through to the September Labour Day holiday there will be 2 or 3 major street festivals and events every weekend not to mention the regular attractions which run through the same period. It is hard to decide what to do but for sure there is something for everyone's taste and sensibilities. Go here to the Events Toronto site or here to the City of Toronto Events site if you would like to check into all the events our city has to offer.

Not only do all the outdoor attractions (including restaurant patios) open in May but people start to go out doors in May. Everyone is busy dusting off (or like me, buying) their bicycles, going to the garden stores and stocking up on seeds and plants and garden furniture and getting ready to enjoy summer.

One activity I have never managed to time properly in previous years was an outing to High Park to see the Cherry Blossoms. Tuesday night last week I slipped over to the park after work - it is not too far from Liberty Village- and joined the thousands of other Torontonians who like me, had been listening to the CBC Morning Show and were told that there was a spectacular display of blossoms this year and that they were at their peak in the next few days. Blooms last about a week, but not even that long if there is rain so they would not last until the weekend. The weather was fabulous even at 7 p.m. when I managed to arrive, but I was disappointed that the sun had given way to clouds. While I did not have the backdrop of blue to show off the blossoms in their best light, none the less, it was an exquisite sight to see so many trees in full blossom and it was worth the effort to see them.

Maybe next year, I can manage to sneak away from work early and do a picnic dinner in the park, as many who were already at the park when I arrived had done.

For my far away friends in the blogsphere, High Park is Toronto's largest public park and it spans 400 acres (nearly 2 sq km) and features many hiking trails, sports facilities, diverse vegetation, a beautiful lakefront, a small zoo, playgrounds for children, a couple of eateries, greenhouses, and various outdoor venues. The elevation rises a bit up from the lake shore and the views are spectacular. It is the place to see Cherry Blossoms or Sakura trees as they are called, in the City of Toronto. The first Japanese Somei-Yoshino Cherry Tree was planted here in 1959 and it was present from the citizens of Tokyo in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War. The growing collection has been added to over the years thanks to the generosity of more than just a few folks.

The following slide show features the magnificent Sakura Blossoms as well as some of the other spring flowers in bloom at High Park. I was also able to take some shots from high on the hill overlooking the lake and the large (35 acre) Grenadier Pond, which is at the western edge of the park.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Seems like I have taken an extended time away from blogging, but (sadly) it was entirely unplanned. Just too much on the go these days. I have been holding back until I get my list of 20 things crossed off from my "Must do before summer" list. The good news is that I am almost there. The bad news is that I got 2 new items when last week I ended up buying and putting together some furniture from Ikea which now has to be disassembled and returned and new pieces fetched and a second assembly session scheduled. Oh well... the place is shaping up nicely! As you can tell, I have been catching up with, among other things, my feathering the nest tasks. I am very excited as I have even managed to order my window coverings!

I owe a special thanks to my friend Michael Golland who spent Sunday evening helping me figure out the best placement of furniture and hung some of my Cecily Moon pieces on my walls. He has graciously agreed to create a wonderful piece to hang on the larger empty wall which will be a focal point for the room!

In the meantime, until I get more time to blog, I thought I would check in with folks and post a few pictures and a brief update and a song that grabbed me as I walked home from work tonight.

Almost got my living room sorted around.

My balcony is at the ready for sunshine and R&R!

My new vehicle!

Practising with my zoom lens

Zoom to the max! All from my balcony!

Walking home today it seemed such a warm and (near) summer day when I heard this song by Donovan I cast my mind back to days of my youth. It was fun to listen to the song and remember what life was like back then.

Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch; 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music. He currently lives with his family in County Cork in Ireland.

It is his birthday today!

Wiki provides us with some interesting background to the song Sunshine Superman and the period it was written in:

By 1966, Donovan had shed the overt Dylan/Guthrie influences and become one of the first British pop musicians to adopt a flower power image. More importantly, his music was developing and changing rapidly as he immersed himself in jazz, blues, Eastern music, and the new generation of US West Coast bands such as Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead. He was now entering his most creative and original phase as a songwriter and recording artist, working in close collaboration with Mickie Most and especially with arranger, musician, and jazz fan John Cameron.

Their first collaboration was "Sunshine Superman". One of the first overtly psychedelic pop records, it was an innovative and eclectic blend of folk, rock, pop and jazz. The arrangement was augmented by prominent harpsichord and sitar, and set against a funky conga-driven back-beat. It also contained subtle but unmistakable references to LSD – notably, the line, "I could've tripped out easy, but I've changed my ways".

Sunshine Superman lyrics
Sunshine came softly through my a-window today
Could've tripped out easy a-but I've a-changed my ways
It'll take time, I know it but in a while
You're gonna be mine, I know it, we'll do it in style
'Cause I made my mind up you're going to be mine

I'll tell you right now
Any trick in the book now, baby, all that I can find
Superman or Green Lantern ain't got a-nothin' on me
I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea, yeah!
A you can just sit there a-thinking on your velvet throne
'bout all the rainbows a-you can a-have for your own
'Cause I made my mind up you're going to be mine

I'll tell you right now
Any trick in the book now, baby, all that I can find
Everybody's hustlin' just to have a little scene
When I say we'll be cool I think that you know what I mean
We stood on a beach at sunset, do you remember when?
I know a beach where, baby, a-it never ends
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine

Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
I'll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind
'Cause I made my mind up you're going to be mine
I'll tell you right now
Any trick in the book now, baby, all that I can find

Superman or Green Lantern ain't got a-nothin' on me
I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea, yeah!
A you-you-you can just sit there a-thinking on your velvet throne
'bout all the rainbows a-you can a-have for your own
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine
I'll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind
When you've made your mind up forever to be mine

About Me

I have a great curiosity and interest in the many things around me. I love to travel, even if it is for a walk around the block. I have loved and lost, loved and thrown away and loved again. Currently trying to figure out whether there is a "Mr Right" in my future. My 5 adult children are reasonably self sufficient now and I have the time to indulge myself by exploring the things which interest me. I am now trying to figure out if I am really in retirement and if so how to reconstruct my life or if I am just taking a break from my career for a while.